Our Life: A Series of One-Shots
by peace4people
Summary: This is a collection of one-shots that partially relate to events that happen in my story "Sick Days." You do not have to know anything about that story to read this - they can be read completely as stand alones. This series is designed to give a unique, almost "behind the scenes" look at events that take place in the Greasers' life.
1. Johnny

**Hey everyone! So here's a little intro into this one-shot series...I have another full length **_**Outsiders**_** story going on called "Sick Days" and while writing it I had this idea of doing one-shot "spinoffs" of things that happen in the story but wouldn't fit in with the text. For instance, in "Sick Days," it is mentioned that Soda and Steve used to goof off a lot in class. I couldn't write that entire story within my story but I figure some people would be interested in reading it. It will also give the reader an inside look into what happens "behind the scenes" so to speak. Even though these one-shots stem from something that is mentioned within my story I want to stress that **_**you do not have to be reading "Sick Days" to understand these one-shots**_** (although, I would love if you did). At the start of each one-shot I will tell you what chapter of "Sick Days" inspired the story. I'll also probably end up doing some random one-shots that aren't "spinoffs" (so if you have any requests please let me know in a PM). Without further ado...**

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"_Some Soc do that to you Johnny?" Pony asked defensively. _

"_Nah, man. My dad just drank a little too much last night." Pony felt his heart sink._

_ -Chapter Three_

Johnny sat in his room and looked at the bare wall before him. His room was no more luxurious than a prison cell – sometimes Johnny even wondered if that would be nicer. He could hear the distant sound of glasses being pulled out of the cabinet and then liquid being poured over crackling ice. He always started the night drinking from a glass but, before too long, he would just begin to take swigs of the liquid straight from the bottle. Johnny looked at his watch, a Birthday gift from Mr. and Mrs. Curtis a few years ago, and saw that it was barely three. His dad was starting early with the alcohol which only meant it was going to be a long night for him.

He looked down at the blank paper in his notebook. His entire English class was supposed to be writing a report on some old English play that involved two rival families and a lot of fighting. He hadn't even bothered to check out the book, he knew he would never have found time to read it and, if he was being honest, he really didn't want to. Stories written by old, dead people always bored him; there was nothing exciting about them. Instead he just asked Ponyboy about the play knowing that the younger greaser had read it for fun a few years prior. Johnny sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tried to remember everything he and Pony had discussed that night.

"What's so special about it?" Johnny had asked Ponyboy, "Why does everyone care so much about what some dead guy wrote hundreds of years ago?"

"You can learn a lot from history, Johnnycake." Pony had said as he laid down on his back and looked up towards the open sky, "The story is about us."

"What are you talking about, Ponyboy?" Johnny had followed the other boy's lead and laid perpendicular to him, their heads resting near each other. From what he heard about in class discussions the play was just about two kids who had fallen in love and suffered from a serious lack of communication.

"We're like the two families in the story – Greasers and Socs, you know? We've been fighting for so long but no one could really tell you what started it all. A lot of people say it's because of money but that ain't true. Money perpetuated the fighting, but something else had to have happened to begin all of this." Pony watched as a cloud moved over the moon causing her to momentarily disappear.

"What else happens in the play?" Johny had asked beginning to get very curious.

"Own families begin to fight with each other; the lives of these two groups quickly unravel until they are both left with nearly nothing. The funny thing is that the more they fall apart, the more they have in common. It makes you remember that everyone has trouble from time to time. Anyways, some people get killed because of the stupid rivalry, innocent people. It's not just a play – it's what we go through every day around here. People always fighting, it just keeps getting worse and worse. Nobody will mean for it to happen, but if the fighting doesn't stop, it's all going to end with people getting killed, innocent people."

"Like in the play." It hadn't been a question so much as it was a statement.

"Yeah, Johnny, just like it." Pony watched as a shooting star flew across the dark sky.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"The two main characters fall in love, they're each children from one of the rival families – both born into a war they didn't start. They ain't too important though. I think they're only there to move the plot along but you probably shouldn't write that in your paper." Later that same night, Johnny asked to borrow Ponyboy's copy of the play and once he started reading it, he couldn't put it down. He stayed up until the sun rose that morning reading the text that mirrored his own life.

Suddenly, a crash from somewhere inside his house brought Johnny back into reality. He could hear his mother arguing with his father,_ I hate you, you know that? You're a good-for-nothing son of a bitch. _Johnny looked down at his currently blank paper and scribbled his name up at the top – it was a start. His pen touched the paper's smooth surface once again and this time, he began to write. The next thing he knew he was already working on a closing paragraph.

"Johnny!" his dad yelled as he flung open the boy's door. A bottle of cheap liquor hung loosely in his right hand, he began to speak incoherently, "Johnny, you know that your mom is a floozy? She's slept with every single man in this neighborhood and their brothers."

The young boy had already heard the exact same speech several times before so he turned his attention back to the paper he was finishing up, "I'll teach you to ignore me!"

Johnny was suddenly pulled out of the chair he was sitting on and forcefully pushed to the floor; he could taste fresh blood in his mouth. Johnny's hands flew in front of his body trying in an attempt to shield himself. His father reared his leg back and kicked him in the stomach. Then he grabbed his son by the collar, pushed him hard against the wall, and punched him in the face.

"Don't you ever ignore me again! You hear me?" Johnny nodded silently as he refrained from moving too much. "What the hell are you even writing?"

His father ripped the page out of Johnny's notebook and quickly skimmed it over, he began to laugh; "Were you really going to turn this garbage in?" his father hiccupped as he took another sip of his cheap liquor. He laughed again and Johnny watched silently as his father took out a box of matches, struck one, and held it up to the essay. In a matter of seconds the paper began to slowly crumble and burn to ash. The older man threw the paper to the ground and left his son's room.

When he was sure that his father was gone Johnny quickly crawled over to the burning paper and stomped it out with his bare hands. He picked up the only legible piece left. _The war going on in this play is nothing compared to the one in our own homes. We all face struggles, Greasers and Socs are nothing more than equals separated by circumstance, and if people could only see..._

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**Thanks for reading everyone! Please check out "Sick Days" if you get a chance and please review letting me know what you think of this story. Don't ever hesitate to send me a one-shot request.**


	2. Dally

**Thanks for reading, everyone!**

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_"You hear about Dally?" Two-Bit asked coolly as he took a drag off his newly lit cigarette._

_ -Chapter Three_

Dallas Winston wasn't perfect looking; he was attractive but far from perfect. Still, there was no denying he was one of the better looking Greasers in town, as a result he even warranted the attention of some girls from the Southside. His current fling was a petite girl named Kathleen, heir to Tulsa's largest equestrian society.

"Hey, beautiful." Dally said as she made her way over to him, he loved watching the way her curves swayed when she walked. Her long curly blonde hair cascaded down her back and she had eyes that looked like the ocean right before a storm.

"Dallas Winston – you're late." She said with her hands on her hips and a joking smile. There was something special about her that made Dally's heart race like no other girl before her.

"I'm never late," he said greeting her with a sideways grin. That crooked smile melted her heart and may just have been the reason she had fallen for him. It made it that much harder knowing that she was lying straight to his face, "You're just early."

"What are we going to do tonight?" She asked planting a soft kiss on his left cheek. Her heart beat so loudly against her chest that she wondered if the boy could hear it through her blouse.

"I don't know..." he kissed her lips, "...catch a movie..." he kissed her again, "...get dinner..." he kissed her long this time, letting his lips linger on hers, "...we'll think of something," his hand slowly slid from the small of her back all the way down to her –

"Dallas Winston, I assure you this is not proper behavior for public." She whispered in his ear with a smile. There was no way he couldn't hear her heart racing now.

"Babe – there ain't nothing proper about me." He laughed as he kissed her one more time. As they pulled away Dally could see a white convertible pulling into the parking lot. Within seconds the car was parked next to them, four boys wearing letterman jackets stepped out. Dally protectively maneuvered himself between the other boys and Kathleen.

"This is ridiculous." One of the boys said shaking his head, "Where do you even find these guys?"

"Andrew, stop." She pleaded to the boy who had just spoken.

"You know these guys?" Dally asked somewhat confused.

"He's my brother." She explained to him, he watched as her eyes began to cloud with tears that refused to fall.

"Kathleen, you know you only do this to make Mom and Dad angry. Teddy is a great guy and you're damn lucky he doesn't find out about half the shit you do..." He then turned to Dally and started to address the other boy, "I bet you didn't know that, Grease – that she has another boyfriend? A real boyfriend – not like whatever trash you are."

"What, so I'm just the hood on the side?" Dally asked the girl, his voice now shaking with anger, "Some kind of sick game you play with your parents – seeing if you can piss them off enough? I don't need you."

"Dally, wait...it's not like..." She called out to him as her stormy eyes began to rain.

"You're nothing more than a two-timing broad," Dally turned on his heels and began to walk away but a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"What did you call my sister?" Dally was face to face with Andrew.

"I said, she's nothing more than a two-timing broad" he could feel his blood boiling, his hard exterior begging to invent lies to protect itself, "You should let Teddy know that your sister isn't as innocent as everyone might think. I uh...I would know, you see? I was only staying with her because of how good she was in the sack..."

The first punch came hard against Dally's jaw; he stumbled a few feet backwards before two Socs ran over and pinned his arms down. Then came a serious of kicks – one right after the other – hard and fast into his side. He coughed; the taste of metallic blood overwhelmed his mouth causing his stomach to churn.

"Get off him!" he could hear Kathleen screaming over and over again, "Help, somebody help!"

After what seemed like hours he could suddenly hear the faint sounds of sirens approaching. There was a pause in the kicking and then everyone booked it. Dallas regained his composure enough to begin running towards the only place he knew to go.

He surveyed the lot looking for a familiar face. He knew the entire gang was either at school or working so he was scavenging for the next best thing. A few feet away he saw Tim and Curly Sheppard drinking beers and smoking. The two of them were casually leaning against a car that they appeared to be claiming as their own – _probably stole it_, Dallas thought to himself.

"Tim...could you...uh...could you take me to the hospital, man?" Dally asked as he limped over to the two brothers.

"Damn, Dal, what happened to you?" asked Curly taking in the appearance of the man that stood in front of him.

"Just got into some fight. Four of them...think they uh...might have cracked a rib or something. I don't know, man." Dally said, the adrenaline was quickly fleeing his system and the pain was finally setting in, "Look, can we just get out of here, Sheppard?"

"Sure thing." Tim threw the rest of his cigarette onto the ground as he got into the driver's seat; Curly did the same on the passenger's side. Dally slowly climbed into the back seat and lay down, he was exhausted.

The wounds would heal and eventually his heart would too.

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**Thanks for reading! If you have the time, please review! : )**


	3. Food Poisoning

**Hi, everyone! Here is the third installment into this collection. I was planning on going in order of "Sick Days" but I'm going to jump ahead and give you the food poisoning one-shot because I've had like eight people ask me about it already and I want to keep my loyal readers happy ; ). This will have two parts...so I guess it's a two-shot(?)**

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_Since their parents died the brothers had only dealt with illness twice. Once when almost the entire gang got food poisoning from some cheap burger joint, and again when Darry got a cold from working in the rain._

_-Chapter Six, Sick Days_

"Can we go there?" Two-Bit asked pointing to an old, run-down looking building. Painted on the side was the word 'Motel' in chipping blue paint, under it in white was 'Tulsa's #1 Most Affordable.' The entire structure seemed like it would collapse at any moment.

"It looks like a place out of one of them killer movies." Said Steve pointing out a neon sign that flickered the word 'Vacancy.'

"If that's the case, no wonder they're vacant." Soda joked causing the entire car to break out in a fit of laughter. Even if his jokes were kinda cheesy, or not even that funny, everyone always laughed for Soda. There was just something about him that always made you want to smile.

"No, the place behind it." Two-Bit said pointing towards an even smaller structure. There was one rusting, white car parked outside but no sign of any other occupants.

"They even open?" Darry asked slowing down the car and eyeing the building suspiciously.

"Tulsa's Number One Most Affordable Burgers." Ponyboy said reading the sign out loud.

"Thanks there, Pony. What would we do without them reading skill of yours?" Steve said sarcastically, Soda nudged him hard prompting a quiet "ow." Everyone else ignored the comment except for Ponyboy who sunk low in his seat.

Johnny quickly filled the awkward silence, "Must be owned by the same people who run the motel."

"Yeah," said Darry pulling into the dirt parking lot and putting the car in park, "What do you boys think?"

"I don't know, man." Said Dally eyeing the place carefully, "It looks kinda sketchy."

"I ain't ever heard of Dallas Winston being scared of something." Said Two-Bit jokingly, but those words were enough for Dally to loudly proclaim 'Shut your mouth! I ain't afraid of anything!' before quickly exiting the car. He flicked the cigarette he had been smoking to the ground and straightened his brown, leather jacket before walking in.

"I guess we're eating here." Said Johnny as he got out of the car and shadowed the older boy inside. Everyone else quickly followed.

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The following day began like normal. By one, Two-Bit and Steve had already invaded the Curtis' household. By one o'three, they had already broken a vase. A wrestling match quickly ensued to see who would be responsible for cleaning up the mess. By one o'five, the other vase was broken.

"This is why we can't have nice things." Darry grumbled as he went over to the closet and retrieved a broom that was broken in half ("Soda, what happened here?" "Uh...well, Darry...Steve and I used the two halves as swords so we could have a duel'). Nobody said anything.

"Soda, you want a beer?" Two-Bit asked walking to the icebox. He popped one open for himself before turning to his friends, "Steve? Darry?"

"I'll take one."

"No he won't." Darry turned to face his kid brother, "You're too young to start drinking, Ponyboy."

"I'll pass." said Soda with a half smile, half grimace. It wasn't noticeable to everyone but Pony knew when something was up with his brother.

"You okay, little buddy?" Darry asked clearly having noticed the same thing Pony had.

"Yeah," he said as he used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe sweat off his forehead, "I'm uh...I'm just not feeling so hot. I probably ate too much this morning."

Soda finished the sentence with a genuine smile causing his two brothers to relax slightly; however, their ease quickly vanished when a few minutes later Soda jumped up from his seat and rushed towards the bathroom.

"I'll go check on him." Darry said standing up. The sound of retching echoed throughout the entire household. Pony squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. He hadn't noticed it before but the room sure was stuffy – he used his hand to fan himself.

"You okay there, Ponyboy?" the beer on Two-Bit's breath hit his senses hard and made Pony's body clam up. He swallowed back the bile as he felt his stomach churning.

"You don't look so good, kid." Steve said sincerely. Ponyboy knew that if Steve wasn't making fun of him, he must really look awful. He closed his eyes hoping that it might help his stomach calm down some. The sounds of Soda's continuous vomiting in the other room finally caused Pony's intestines to succumb.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." he covered his mouth and ran to the kitchen sink where he quickly rid his stomach of all its contents.

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**I'll post the second part Thursday night (probably). Just so you know, I have a couple more one-shot spin-offs to write and then I have an unrelated one-shot sick!fic for all of you who love those. Anyways...you all know the drill...please review xoxo**


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